E

ast Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is ranked fifth in terms of drug trafficking and first in the number of drug addicts in Indonesia, which officials blame on the lack of equipment to detect narcotics in airports and harbors.

The head of the NTT chapter of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Aloysius Dando, said as many as 22 seaports and 13 airports in NTT were not equipped with X-ray devices, a lack that contributed to the rampant drug smuggling.

'€œLast month, NTT Governor Frans Lebu Raya and I met with Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan to request that the devices be installed at the sea and airports. The minister said he was also willing to provide sniffer dogs at the sea and airports,'€ Aloysius told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He revealed West Manggarai regency capital Labuan Bajo was one of the five gateways for drug trafficking from the West Nusa Tenggara province, while Sikka regency capital Maumere is a gateway for drugs from Makassar, South Sulawesi.

He said Southwest Sumba regency capital Tambolaka and East Sumba regency capital Waingapu are gateways for drug trafficking from Bali and Belu regency capital Mota'€™ain, bordering Timor Leste, for drugs from the east.

He added drug detection at most of the gateways to NTT was carried out manually, so large volumes of drugs could easily be trafficked into the province.

Besides the lack of devices that could prevent drug trafficking, NTT is not yet equipped with special facilities for drug addicts to be rehabilitated.

As many as 29 drug addicts from NTT are currently undergoing rehab at the Badoka Drug Rehabilitation Center in Makassar.

'€œThe NTT BNN is making efforts to promote the Rp 100,000 (US$7) rehab program for drug addicts so they could be treated at all government hospitals in NTT under the supervision of the NTT BNN,'€ Aloysius said.

He added that based on a survey conducted by the NTT BNN and the University of Indonesia'€™s Medical School, there were 43,000 drug addicts in the province, not counting those addicted to tobacco and alcohol.

'€œThe NTT BNN hopes that the central government would form five regency drug agencies in the five regencies prone to drug-trafficking in NTT. They are West Manggarai, Belu, Sikka, Southwest Sumba and East Sumba,'€ said Aloysius.

Separately, a drug dealer in NTT was sentenced to life by the Atambua District Court on Monday in a drug trafficking case.

Defendant Irpan was proven guilty of carrying 2.2 kilograms of crystal meth into the country from East Timur through the Mota'€™ain gateway in the Belu regency.